I am getting the picture that some in missions have been quite loosey-goosey about what to measure and when. what are some thoughts and strategies an agency might consider as they begin to develop, provide, or determine if they can provide accommodations?

I can see how this gives religious freedom. I can also see organizations getting lazy with it. I guess my struggle with the ministerial exception is that it is not broad enough in another way. As a psychologist ...

Many examining psychologists are not aware of the existence of 29 CFR § 1630.13, titled “Prohibited medical examinations and inquiries.” Even more importantly, section 1630.10, “Qualification standards, tests, and other selection criteria,” discusses the types of tests that can be used.

I see a number of legal issues around assessments. Some assessments are designed to give insight into personality or leadership styles. Those are fine. Others, like the MMPI, are designed to identify pathology. These raise a host of problems.

Between 1975 and 2005 I completed innumerable candidate assessments (I never counted them!). I was always pushed, at least in the beginnings of my relationships with a mission board, or when a new candidate person came on board, to tell them if the person should be a missionary, or not.

There are many potential ethical problems in mission for psychologists with professional licenses. And if you get caught up in these ethical problems, you may do real harm to people, you may be liable for malpractice, and you could lose your professional license.

As a mental health practitioners trying to help further the cause of missions, I will be looking at issues as they develop in the arenas of assessment, overseas behavior and treatment, and contexts where you find cross-cultural and organizational cultural issues. I also want to discuss how to work with missions in the most effective way, looking at specific kinds of assessments and the ministerial exception.I am hoping, Theresa, that I will surface issues that you may be able to speak to from a legal perspective.

Attorney Advertising D I S C L A I M E RP R I V A C Y P O L I C Y Because of the generality of the information on this site, it may not apply to a given place, time, or set of facts. It is not intended to be legal advice, and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.